“Cubbie of the north” dream

The interest in irrigated agriculture in the state’s north west brought on by the tender of nearly 700,000 megalitres of unallocated water in the Flinders and Gilbert River systems has revived a call for consideration for a large water project at Richmond.

Shire mayor John Wharton, who is also the interim chairman of the Developing Northern Australia Cooperative Research Centre, believes the O’Connell Creek project is deserving of strong investor interest and therefore state coordinated project status.